Strawberry-Sunflower Seed-Chocolate Chip Granola

It sounds kind of odd, but the combination of strawberries, sunflower seeds and chocolate chips tickles me. Something about the different flavors and textures. Go ahead and try it out. I’m too exhausted to say anything else, so I’m going to skip right to the recipe plus a bonus recipe for sunflower seed milk. Lucky you!

Spread evenly on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well. Bake for 10 more minutes. Mix in chocolate chips while granola is still warm so it coats the granola. After granola has cooled, store in a covered container/jar in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3 cups

Sunflower Seed Milk

This milk takes a little time to get used to. The flavor is very sunflower seed-y, so don’t expect it to have a very neutral flavor like soy and almond milk. But it’s tasty once you’ve become accustomed to it (and sunflower seeds are cheap!).

1/2 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds, soaked in water overnight

2 cups water

1 pitted date or 1 tbsp. maple syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

pinch of cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender for several minutes. Strain through a nut milk bag (or a paint straining bag — cheap at your local hardware store) and store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to a week.